The Six Answers of Caring

The foundation of High AQ is the ability to provide six answers (High AQ Practice 1).  My AQ is a series of articles that feature business executives that provide six answers to important topics and questions.

Jim Naro is a Predictive Index Partner and Business Partner of Customer Centric Selling. Jim cares about his clients. So often caring is an empty-phrase.  Not for Jim. He has six answers to demonstrate he cares for his clients.

Each answer by itself relates to a specific question. If you take all the answers together, it is the cumulative and reinforcing aspect of the answers that communicate authenticity.

WHAT is caring?

WHY is caring important?

HOW do I care?

WHAT is caring?

Concept

Metaphor

Concept

WHAT is caring?

​For Jim, caring is a concept that consists of four dimensions:  

1. Long-term orientation: If you care about someone you want to be there for long-haul.
2. Investment orientation: Your first instinct is to help others and you provide a lot of support. 
3. Trust: You can be relied upon by others.
4. Broad relationships: You care about someone personally and professionally.

Metaphor

WHAT is caring?

In sales, the metaphor of "land and expand" is used (particularly internally).  Or the metaphor of "hunters" or "farmers" is used.  When you hunt, the herd is diminished and an unaware being is shot dead. This is the opposite of caring. 

Jim's metaphor is consistent with farming: "plant and grow." But, he is passionate about trees, and that is where he locates his metaphor. He has different species in his yard. He likes to see them grow.  The metaphor is authentic.​

WHY is caring important?

Theory

Story

Theory

WHY is caring important?

​Jim's theory is....

Caring → Job Performance

Caring is important because it increases job performance. Theory is often subtle.  Jim realizes he cares about increasing performance. Connecting caring to a work outcome separates caring from personal life.  Often it is easy for a caring-relationship at work to digress to friendship or enjoyment, and the focus on performance is lost.

Jim is goal oriented, but he does this through developing relationships with customers, not focusing on transactional projects.

Story

WHY is caring important?

​Jim can tell several stories of caring that demonstrate the importance of caring to those he works with.  

It started on Campus (story): Jim is a college professor at Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU), where he teaches Sales Leadership. He was working with students to equip them for sales roles in the workplace. In order to help these students he became certified in Predictive Index (PI) so he could use this resource with his students.  He had no intention of selling PI as a consultant.  By servicing his students, it eventually led to learning about PI and ultimately wanting to share PI with his business clients. 

The moral of the story is that caring is at the center of what he does and the solutions he uses in business have others' interests at heart.

HOW do I care?

Procedure

Action

Procedure

 HOW do I care?

Jim has both broad and specific procedures to care for his clients. The broad journey he goes on with his clients consists of three steps:
 
Step 1: Questionnaire.  He asks questions about the person and the organization.  When you care about someone, you focus broadly.

​Step 2: Boots on the ground.  Many consultants provide guidance only.  Jim cares so he participates on sales calls with clients, and conducts talent strategy sessions.

Step 3: What else can we work on? Often a cliché, consultants want to land and expand.  But, in a caring relationship, getting involved in more aspects of the relationship is a natural outcome.

Action

HOW do I care?

Actions are used to implement each step of a procedure. 

Jim only provides solutions the client needs.  There are so many layers to complex sales.  Jim starts small and he realizes that a relationship will grow over time (see Procedure step 3).

It is tempting to say every consultant provides what the client needs.  But the reality is that many consultants care more about themselves than the client.